CHENNAI: Sunomoni Gogoi has had first-hand experience of the practical impact of climate change. “Climate change has forced the people in my village to dig along the river banks for drinking water, and that leads to all sorts of serious diseases,” says the young Assamese social worker.
In a village with minimal transport facilities — just carts and two motorcycles — that lies 30 kilometres away from the nearest medical aid, such diseases are a serious affair.
Ms. Gogoi is also witness to the power of information and communication technology (ICT).
“I have realised that a single call from my mobile phone can help save the community. I can now call for a taxi, an ambulance to help,” she says.
Ms. Gogoi’s story reflects the simple, yet powerful ways in which ICT can be used in coping with climate change at the grassroots level in India. At a workshop on the subject organised by the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation here on Monday, Ms. Gogoi and other National Virtual Academy Fellows from six States shared their experiences.
Village Knowledge Centre
In Maharashtra, Krishna Dhake operates a Village Knowledge Centre (VKC), which offers weather forecasting and advice on crop schedule to farmers left confused by changing rainfall patterns.
In Puducherry, Vimala Periyandi uses the local VKC to help fishing communities hit by post-tsunami changes in fishing grounds, fluctuating weather, and sickness due to extreme climatic conditions.
With such examples in front of him, Bhavanarayana of Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district wants to set up a VKC in his own village. “I remember the terrible drought of 2002 and the terrible floods the next year. And I have seen the mock drills for flood and drought preparation in Machalipatnam …We need the same thing,” he says.
The village knowledge centres are one link in the chain of ICT. Most of them are grouped around the hub of one of the 331 VRCs or Village Resource Centres across the country, each powered by the Indian Space Research Organisation’s satellite connectivity and information.
Role of resource centres
Each block in the country will have a VRC within five years time, says V.S. Hegde, who coordinates the project for ISRO.
From tracking weather and land use at a micro-level to cyclone warning systems and imaging disaster sites for relief personnel, the VRCs can access a variety of knowledge tools to tackle the impacts of climate change.
Using a satellite connection, VRCs across the country interacted with Walter Fust, the visiting Director General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation as part of the workshop.
